Health, Medicine and the Bio-Sciences

WithAlison Howell

This chapter highlights some exciting recent research, most of which is emerging out of fields other than International Relations (IR). It sets out some examples of potential areas for investigation that could push the field forward within IR. The international political sociology of health, medicine and the bio-sciences is an exciting and growing field – one which offers a massive opportunity for students and scholars alike. Approaches dedicated to an international political sociology of health, medicine and the bio-sciences can both draw on and develop the burgeoning field of Global Health studies in IR. One area of clear convergence lies between the international political sociology of medicine and security and surveillance studies. The chapter argues that scholars dedicated to an international political sociology in IR are well placed in terms of forging analyses that demonstrate that medicine and the bio-sciences have shaped and are shaped by global politics.